Dispatches
by LadyGuardianPhoenix
Summary: There's a murderer in Tokyo, but Kenshin is reluctant to help police catch him, because he'd have to leave Kaoru alone in the dojo. He doesn't seem to think she can take care of herself...which may be the biggest mistake he's ever made. *Complete-ish?*


_Author's Disclaimer: If you're looking for the person who owns _Rurouni Kenshin_, then I have to tell you, you've come to the wrong place._

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_There was a murderer haunting the streets of Tokyo; a good one, if a murderer could ever be called good. This one had already killed five people, leaving no trace and no witnesses. It had been several weeks since this serial killer had taken to breaking into people's homes and murdering them.

But there were always killers, even in the gentlest, most peaceful of times, and although it might take the police longer to catch this particular criminal without the rurouni's assistance, they would still catch him.

Kaoru knew this. Kenshin knew this. Even the police knew this. But Kaoru also knew that she was in less danger than the ordinary citizens of Tokyo from this particular threat. She was, after all, no stranger to a fight, even if she did make it a habit to avoid them.

And so, when Kenshin seemed reluctant to go with the police that afternoon, Kaoru was a bit surprised – and more than a little irritated.

She knew that if he didn't go and more people died, Kenshin would see it as a failure on his part to protect innocents. In a way, though he would not wield the blade that purchased their lives, he would still be responsible. He'd had the power to prevent their deaths and had done nothing; in his eyes, it woiuld be the same as killing the victims with his own two hands.

For a man who already insisted on taking blame for so many things, one more might seem a small burden. But even the smallest of weights add up given time, and Kaoru would give much to see even a little peace in his eyes.

She'd taken one look at Kenshin and realized that he would stay home that evening, the killer would probably kill again, and he'd blame himself for it.

Again.

This kind of behavior, Kaoru decided, was unacceptable.

So she took matters into her own hands.

Megumi didn't really have anything on Kaoru when it came to using guile, at least when it came to using guile on a certain rurouni, anyway.

Of course, it helped that she had just gotten back from teaching at another dojo and had her practice gi on and her trusty shinai in hand, so if worse came to worst, she could just as easily rely on brute force instead of logic. Kami only knew that the rurouni sometimes had a hard time with the latter.

"I'm very sorry, Chief, but I cannot leave Kaoru-dono here all alone. Maybe if Yahiko could get off work early, then…" the rurouni was saying to the uniformed man when the woman in question decided to chime in.

"So," Kaoru began calmly, menace gleaming in her eyes even as a hint of amusement filled them, "You think I can't handle one night alone in my own dojo?"

Startled, Kenshin whirled to face the petite, angry woman. He knew that look. He also knew that he really shouldn't argue with her when Kaoru got that particular glint in her eyes, but it was his _duty_ to protect her, even if she didn't think she needed it. More importantly (at least to him), he _wanted _to protect her.

"Maa, maa, Kaoru-dono," he began worriedly, waving his hands in a placating fashion even as he tried to gently back away from what could quickly become a very _painful_ situation.

The chief happened to notice the redhead's subtle shifting and glanced at the woman. She didn't _appear_ to be threatening, even if she was carrying a shinai and wearing the practice gear of a martial artist. Still, if any of the rumors he'd heard were even half-true…

She grinned. It was not a nice smile.

The chief decided to be very still. Most animals, when cornered by something larger or more ferocious (or at least stranger) than they are, all know that their best chance of survival is to not be noticed in the first place. The chief figured the less of the lady's attention he garnered, the safer he'd be. And if the former hitokiri was afraid of her, well…

The chief had not survived so long in such a dangerous profession by being stupid.

Kaoru, to the chief's relief, ignored him to focus on the hapless rurouni.

"So, you think I'm so pathetic that I can't take care of any of the riff-raff that might be dumb enough to attack a _martial arts school_?" She snorted in disdain, as though the very suggestion was beneath her. She had long ago dismissed Gohei as irrelevant. That particular man had obviously, in her opinion, been insane, and therefore did not count.

"Kaoru-dono…" Kenshin tried to interject.

"Oh, _nooooo_," she growled, "I'm just a weak little _girl_, can't even defend myself from the boogey monster. Oh, no! Was that a _mouse_? I should run for my life!" She pressed a hand to her chest and gasped dramatically, sarcasm dripping from her voice like vinegar. She started to walk slowly toward him, moving like a cat on the prowl, her expression pinched and annoyed.

Kenshin winced. The chief felt almost sorry for the other man. There was no way he was going to win this fight. Still, it was obvious the redhead felt it necessary to try.

"It's not that at all! It's just that I'd feel better if at least Yahiko…" Kenshin tried to protest.

It was precisely the wrong thing to say.

Kaoru's eyes narrowed. Her lips pursed and any hint of amusement fled her expression. She walked right into Kenshin's personal space, going toe-to-toe with the rurouni.

"What, so you think my _student _is so much more knowledgeable and so much stronger than I am that _he'll _be able to do a better job defending me than I can myself? Is that it?" There was more than a little anger in her voice.

"Of course not! I just…! I…!" he stuttered, attempting to back away only to have her follow.

"You just what? Think I'm incapable? Incompetent? Because that's what you're implying. So let's get one thing straight, Kenshin," and in this moment, she was deadly serious. Her hand gripped the shinai slung casually over her shoulder. "I managed to survive _on my own_ in this dojo long before you came along. While I may not be competition for the likes of Shishio or Enishi, I can more than handle your average everyday punks and even quite a few above-average fighters, too. Whether or not you believe enough in me and my skills is _not_ my problem. _I _know I can take care of myself just fine, thank you very much.

"What I cannot do is assist the police in tracking down a criminal. You want to help keep me safe? Forget keeping Yahiko from working at the Akabeko, and forget sitting here, doing laundry when you know there are better uses for your time; help the police instead. The sooner this guy is off the streets, the sooner we'll _all _rest a little easier."

He gawked at her.

She raised a menacing eyebrow.

He blinked.

Her eye twitched.

"Maa, maa, Kaoru-dono…" he began, grinning in that disarming way of his that should have defused her infamous temper.

_Should_ have.

He never did get a chance to finish that statement.

"Right. I can see we're going to have to do this the hard way then," she muttered, pushing up the sleeve of her practice gi and taking a firm grip on her shinai.

In a lightening-fast move that probably startled the on-looking police officers more than the rurouni her wrath was directed at, she thwacked the former hitokiri hard on the head with her shinai, and as he stumbled, half-stunned, she grabbed him by back of his gi and dragged him to the waiting police chief.

"He's all yours," and she smiled cheerfully, adding that she'd love to offer to let the chief and his officers stay for tea, but it might be best if they took Kenshin quickly, before he completely regained his senses.

At the soft "Oroooo…" from the fallen man and the dark glower from the petite shinai-wielding kenjutsu shihondai, the chief simply nodded and motioned for two of his men to assist the rurouni to the waiting carriage.

"Thank you for…ahem…_persuading_ Himura-san," the chief said, bowing politely. He'd caught onto her game very quickly; it was hard to keep the smile from lifting the corners of his mouth. Clever girl, he thought. Enough of a sword master to understand a warrior's pride, and enough of a woman to understand the heart of a man. An unusual mix, Kamiya-san was. He turned to go.

"Chief," came the soft, serious voice behind him. He turned, surprised by the abrupt change in her tone.

Her hand flexed around her shinai in a manner that might have been intended to be threatening, but was probably only the compulsive gesture of a warrior comforting herself with a familiar object. There was no teasing in her eyes, no laughter, no smiles; only determination and deep concern, coupled with the subtle bodily tension of a person taking a great risk. It was the look of someone entrusting something very dear to the care of another person, one who might or might not understand the full value of that treasure.

Only a fool or a dead man would ignore such a look, and the chief prided himself on being neither.

She studied his face for a long moment, and, seemingly satisfied by what she saw there, nodded, though the tension at the corners of her eyes did not ease completely.

He bowed again, deeper this time, honored that she, who had known so many great warriors and strong men, should find him worthy.

"Thank you, Kamiya-san," he said again, and this time he wasn't sure what he was thanking her for. Something told him that she needed to be thanked, though, and for a lot more than the "loan" of her rurouni.

She relaxed her stance and rolled her eyes, waving the hand not holding the shinai in a dismissive fashion. The sudden change left the chief momentarily off balance. She was obviously a woman of many faces. A man could get lost trying to sort them all out. But oh, what a treasure he'd find along the way!

For a moment, he was almost jealous of the rurouni. Oh, to be the man who won the love and loyalty of such a woman!

"You'd better hurry," she said. "If I know Kenshin, he'll be coming around any moment, and I'm afraid if I hit his head any harder, he'll break my shinai. I swear, that man has a skull made of metal. Besides, the same trick rarely works twice on him." She grinned.

The chief found himself returning her smile, half bemused by the impish gleam in her eyes.

Oh, yes, Kamiya-san was most definitely an incredible woman.

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_Author's Notes: This was originally intended to be the first chapter of a longer story, but no matter how I try, everything I write after this falls flat or doesn't fit. In fact, one of my other stories, "Belief," got its start as part of this story. Originally, the conversation from near the end of that story was not going to be between Kaoru and Saitou, but between Kaoru and Kenshin, the idea being that he was questioning her strength to be on her own, and she would assert her belief in herself and her abilities. However, every time I tried to work that story into this one, I kept seeing Saitou and hearing things in his tone of voice, and that's where "Belief" was born._

_I may try to add to this later, but for now, I think it stands alone. Let me know what you think!_

_-LGP-_


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